Blue Springs students shave their heads for cancer research

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BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- What will they think of next?

Students at Blue Springs High School spent Friday morning raising money for kids with cancer -- by giving up their own hair.

Nearly 40 people lined up for the Brave-a-Shave fundraiser. It comes after several weeks of student fundraising, and the money goes to benefit St. Baldrick's Foundation, a charity that shaves heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Blue Springs Senior Mark McFerren knows pediatric cancer firsthand. The 17-year old been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with leukemia three years ago.

"A lot of them were thinking of me, but a lot of them weren't, which is also a nice sentiment," McFerren said. "They know children with cancer is something that should be helped out."

Five hair salons in the metro donated their stylists, who even shaved four female students clean.

"I personally cut 14 inches off of one girl's hair," Cyndee Nevels, who manages a Sport Clips location in Liberty, said. "I was more nervous that she was."

Junior Kai Miller chopped off as much as seven inches worth of hair. He'd been trimmed only once since last year's Brave-a-Shave.

"All the people getting their heads shaved were smiling and having a great time," Miller said. "They knew they were doing something good."

Blue Springs students have been losing their hair for Saint Baldrick's for the past four years, and during that time, they've raised over $18,000 to help kids who have cancer.

"You get this feel that nobody knows about it," McFerren said. "This kind of event shows that people do care."

A sign of their compassion isn't hard to miss.

St. Baldrick's Foundation is based in California, and has been staging its Brave-a-Shave events since 2000. The group says it's raised over $118 million for pediatric cancer research.